Over 70 dead in clashes between Syria's new authorities and Assad's former troops, human rights activists report

More than 70 people have been killed in clashes that began yesterday in Syria's Latakia province between forces of the government group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and supporters of the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), dozens of people have been wounded or captured.

As the activists report, forces of the current Syrian government are in full control of Tartus, and the cities of Latakia, Jableh, and Baniyas are also “largely” under their control. Former soldiers from Assad's army, fighting in opposition to HTS, operate mostly in rural areas, SOHR said. Al Qardahah and some other towns in Latakia province are outside the control of the new government’s forces, though HTS reinforcements continue to flow into the area.